Fabric-feeding roll or head.



W. B. PALMER. FABRIC FEEDING ROLL OR HEAD. APPLICATION FILED APR. 14, 1909.

Patented Apr. 26, 1910.

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. State of UNITED STATES PATENT.- oFFrcE.

' WILLIAM B. PALMER, OF GREENWICH, NEW YdRK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JESSE V PALMER, OFGREENWICH, NEW YORK.

FABRIC-FEEDING ROLL OR HEAD.

"Specification of Letters Patent. I Pat t d 2 1910 Application filed April 14,1909. Serial No. 489,816.

To all whom it may concern:

Greenwicllqi, in the county of Washington and Rolls or Heads, of which the following is-a specification.

My present invention relates to improvements "in apparatus for. handling tubular fabrics and more especially to the rolls that are used for feeding or advancing the fabric alon a tube or mandrel, the primary object of t e invention bein to provide an improved feed roll of this class that has a periphery which presents a plurality of circumfer entially-spaced fabric-engaging 'portions which are preferably flexible or yieldable and are under tension whereby said portions may act effectively upon the fabric so as toobtain a firm or non-slipping hold that will positively feed the fabric along the tube or mandrel, the invention consistmg essentially in providing means for adj ustlng and maintainlng-the tension of the fabric-engaging portions whereby the same may at all times have a roper'engagement with the fabric, to provide a simple and improved construction for the roll and furthermore to provide an'improved mode of mounting the fabric-engaging portions upon the roll, the

present mvention being an improvement u' on the rolls covered by my priorpatent,

0. 87 8,995, granted February 11, 1908.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain" improvements, and combinations and arrangements of parts, all as' will be hereinafter more fully described, the novel features being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the specification.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a fabric feeding roll constructed in accordance with my present invention; Fig. 2 represents a central vertical section of the roll shown in Fig.

*1; Fig. 3. represents a transverse section of the roll; Fig. 4 shows a pair-of the rolls mounted in cooperative relation with a tubular fabric supported by a tubular mandrel,

the inner portlons of the rolls bein broken away so as to show the manner in w 'ch the;

rolls en age the fabric; and Fig. 5 is a detail view 0 one ,of the fabric-engaging strips showing the same twisted whereby it Wlll have a tendency to lift the fabric upon the v ew York, have invented new and "useful Improvements in Fabric-Feeding ed on the s thereby minimize friction and insure, a

proper packing of the fabric thereon. I

Similar parts are designated by the same reference characters the several views.

Rolls constructed 1n accordance with the present invention may be used adva ntageously in machines of various kinds wherein it is necessary to feed or advance a tubular fabric over a tube or mandrel and, moreover, various constructions may be adopted for carrying out the objects of the present invention which will be included within the scope of the claims at the fication. I

In the accompanying drawing, I have end of the specishown one particular embodiment of the in- ,of these frames being shown in Fig. 4 which i are mounted at opposite sides of a tubular mandrel 3 and they are hinged atl and connected by a spring 5 whereby the frames will have a normal tendency to move inwardly and thereby press the rolls a ainst the fabric 6 upon the tubular mandre with a yielding pressure. The roll supporting shafts are provided-with pulleys 7 whereby receivingtube or to'sustain its weight and they may be driven from a power shaft by means of belts or other appropriate power transmitting means. In the present instance, each roll consists of a pair of heads 8 and 9 that are preferably annular and substantially disk-shaped, and these heads have axially elongated hubs 10 andll which closely fit the shaft so as to prevent tilting of the heads relatively thereto although either or both of the heads may be adjusted in a direction axially of the shaft so as. to vary the. distance between them, and in order to lock or retain the heads in any desired adjusted relation, setscrews 12 and 13 are provided which are preferably tappedthrough the hubs thereon and 006 erate with the shaft. These heads may be u' licates although they are mountliaft in reverse relation, each head having its periphery rounded or curved as at 14. and each head or disk is also provided with an annular row of openings or apertures 15 which are preferably spaced concentrically with the axis of the head. within the curved or rounded portion thereof.

. In order .to effectively feed the fabric, especially the tubular fabric, along a mandrel,

it has been found necessary by experience struction,

to use a feed roll that has a peculiar conit being necessary that the roll. should have a series of circumferentially spaced fabric-engaging portions which will cause the fabric to be pressed inwardly between such portions, and when the fabric so enters between the spaced portions on the periphery of the roll, the latter is capable of obtaining a non-slipping or firm hold upon the fabric and it is thereby able to feed the fabric positively along the tube or mandrel on which it is supported. Various means may be employed for obtaining this result,

a plurality of strips 16 being shown in the present instance that are preferably composed of pliable or flexible material, leather being suitable and, in the construction shown these strips are all of the sameilength and width and'the roughened side of the leather is turned outwardly so as to insure the proper frictional hold of the strips upon the fabric. These strips are applied at suitable intervals to the periphery of the roll, their ends being curved inwardly over the correspondingly curved edges of the two heads, and their ends are thence extended through the appropriate 0 enings or aperlength and after one of the set-screwshas been loosened,. the two heads are forced apart until the peripheral strips. are under 1 the appropriate tension, any suitable means the man rel supportin being used .for separating the heads after which the set-screw is tightened and the heads are thereby maintained at such a distance apart as will sustain the tension upon the strips. In the operation of the rolls, the same are referably held in such relation to the fabric as to cause the strips upon t e roll to assume a somewhat curved or bowed form as shown in Fig. 4 whereby the roll may have an em gagement with a sufiicientarea of the fabric, and the revolvin movement of the roll will cause its perip cry to so engage the fabric as to permit a positive feeding movement thereof along the mandrel: Obviously the yieldable nature of the periphery of each roll will permit it to accommodate any irregularities in the surface or thickness of the fabric without injuring it, and the strips may be maintained at the proper tension by adjusting the 'heads from time to time as occasion may require. Instead of using a plurality of separate strips, these fabric-engaging portions that are spaced cir cumferentially of the roll could, obviously be formed of one or more longer strips that would be threaded or laced through the openings in the heads and, in fact, the rolls may be formed in various ways whereby their peripheries shall have a series of circumferentially spaced portions which enable the rolls to obtain the proper frictional hold upon the fabric and, moreo ver, the invention is not limited to the specific means shown for securing the fabric-engaging portions of the rolls'to the heads, it being understood that only one embodiment of the invention is shown.

Ordinarily, in placing a fabric upon the receiving tube or mandrel, such fabric will be suspended-and the weight of the fabric upon the upper side of the tube will produce a certain amount of friction. In order to minimize the friction of the fabric on the upper side of the tube and also to insure a pro er packing of the fabric, one of the ea to the otherisoas to give the fabric-engaging portions thereon such a pitch as will tend to lift or support the-weight of the fabric as the rollsrevolve, or this result can be obtained by giving a twist to the strips 7 or fabric-engaging portions as shown in s may be slightly rotated with respect Fig. 5 whereby a slightly inclined portion of the fabric-engaging strip will act to lift or sustain the weight of the fabric and in this way, the frictional resistance to the packing of the fabric upon the tube is minimized and a proper packingis insured. I claim as my invention:

1. A feed roll of the class described embodying a series of circ'umferentially spaced fabric-engaging portions, and means for simultaneously producing uniform tension on said fabric-engaging portions.

2. A feed roll of the class described havin a flexible ri he to enga e a fabric, an d means vfor liniiiorfiily adjusti ng the tension of said flexible eriphery in a direction axially of the roll 3. A feed roll of the class described embodying fabric-enga ing strips stretchedin a direction substantial y ongitudinally thereof, and means capable of adjustin the tension of said strips while in stre'tc ed position.

4. A feed roll of the class described com prising meads relatively adjustable to vary 13o the distance between them, and a plurality of fabric-engaging portions on the periphery of the roll, said-portions being attached I to and stretched between said heads and forming spaces between'them.

5.- A feed roll of the class described comprising a pair of heads, and fabric-engaging strips stretched between the heads, said heads being relatively adjustabletotension said strips.

6. A feed roll of the class described com prising a pair of heads, and fabric-engaging strips stretched between them, said heads be-- ing relatively adjustable to tension said.

strips and relatively rotatable to adjust the angle of engagement between said strips and the fabric. a

7. A feed roll of the class described having aXially adjustable heads provided with op-y positely arranged rows ofv openings, and

uniformly tensioned fabricengaging por- -tions forming a yielding periphery for the roll and engaged inv said openings.

8. A feed roll of the class describedcomprising a pair of axially adjustable heads having annular rows of openings, and fabric-engaging stripsuniformly stretched between said heads and engaged at their endsin said openings. I

9. A feed roll of the class described comprising a shaft, a pair of heads mounted on and relatively adjustable axially thereof,

and a plurality of strips stretched between said heads and spaced circumferentia-lly thereof to form a yieldable fabric-engaging periphery for the roll.

10. A feed roll of the class described comprising a shaft, a pair of heads having hubs engaging said shaft, at least one of said hubs being adjustable a'xially on the shaft and having means for looking it in fixed 12. The combination of a fabric-receiving tube or mandrel, a roll for feeding a fabric thereon and having a yieldable periphery to engage the fabric, means for producing uniform longitudinal tension about the circumference of said yieldable periphery of the roll, and means for pressing the roll in engagement with the fabric on the tube or mandrel.

13. The combination of. a fabric-receiving tube or mandrel, a pair of rolls arranged at the opposite sides thereof and having yieldable peripheries to engage a fabric thereon, means capable of producing uniform longitudinal'tension about the circumference of each of said' yieldable peripheries of the rolls,land means for yieldably pressing the rolls against the fabric on the tube or mandrel.

14. In a machine for inverting tubular fabrics, the combination of a fabric-receivingtube, a pair. of feed-rolls mounted at opposite sides thereof and having yieldable strips spaced circumferentially thereon to engage the fabric on the tube, and means,

capable of adjusting the tension of said 'strips while attached at both ends to said rolls. -1

15. The'combination of a tube or mandrel and a revoluble roll for feeding a fabric thereon, said roll having a plurality of strips spaced circumferentially and constituting fabric-engaging portions, said strips. having a circumferential pitch whereby such strips are adapted to engage the fabric at.

an acute angle to the length of the mandrel.

16. The combination of a tube-or mandrel, and a revoluble roll for feeding a fabric. thereon, said roll having a plurality of circumferentially spaced fabric-engaging strips on its periphery, the forward longitudinal edge of each strip being adapted to engage the fabric at an acute angle with respect tolthe length of said tubeor mandrel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM B. PAIIldlilR.

Witnesses:

.Jnssn V. PALMER, WILLIAM EJCOX. 

